Sheffield United manager Danny Wilson is adamant his side's late-season stutter will not affect their League One play-off bid.
The Blades had led the race for the second automatic spot ahead of neighbours Sheffield Wednesday for much of the season and at one point were five points ahead with two games in hand.
But with United taking just two points from their final three fixtures, an unbeaten 13-match run from the Owls saw them claim second spot and condemn Wilson's side to a play-off semi-final with Stevenage.
United's problems coincided with the jailing of star striker Ched Evans, but Wilson insisted his players are in a positive frame of mind.
"In normal circumstances we would have to pick them up, but because we've had such a good season and accumulated so many points it's not like that," Wilson said ahead of tomorrow night's first leg at Broadhall Way.
"We've been unlucky and it's fine lines. Unfortunately we didn't have that couple of results at the end of the season that we needed.
"The last 10 games have been very good and we can't ignore the fact that we're going into these games in very good form.
"We go there because we deserve to be there, but it's all about the result now. It's about the performance and getting through to Wembley if we possibly can."
The Blades were beaten 2-1 at Stevenage in November, but with only Huddersfield scoring more goals on the road than the Blades this season, attack will be the order of the day.
"We know we're going to a very tough venue with a tight pitch and the fans on top of you," Wilson added. "But we've seen it all before, it's nothing new to us.
"We know there's a big prize at the end of it if we can stand up to it and come through the tie.
"You have to have a threat going away from home. We're not going to sit back and wait for them to pummel us.
"That's not in our game, so we'll go and attack. Whatever the scoreline is, unless it's emphatic, you wouldn't have thought the tie would be over.
"But we have to make sure by the time we come back to Bramall Lane the tie is in our favour."
Stevenage, who finished 17 points behind United in the league, are bidding to maintain their meteoric rise up the football pyramid with a third successive promotion.
Manager Gary Smith, who was drafted in after previous boss Graham Westley departed for Preston in January, has played down the Blades' disappointment at missing out on automatic promotion.
But the 43-year-old, who guided former club Colorado Rapids to the MLS Championship Cup in 2010 and the play-offs in 2011, expects his side to come out on top in the first leg.
"They won't relish the opportunity of coming down here to play against us," Smith said.
"It'll be a tough night, the crowd will get behind us, we've got plenty of momentum and we're in good form. We'll be looking to come away from this leg with an advantage to take back to Bramall Lane.
"We'll give them plenty of respect, they deserve it. They've had a wonderful season and I think that in most seasons gone by 90 points would have got them automatic promotion.
"But now they find themselves in a play-off situation."
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